A Book Update (It’s Coming!), Plus 2 Giveaways to Win Your Own Copy

by Alice Callahan on July 28, 2015

You know that feeling you have when you’re 40 weeks pregnant and waiting for the baby to arrive? Maybe you still have a million things to do on your to-do list, but you know that the baby could arrive any day now – maybe tonight, or maybe a week from now. All those weeks of waiting – waiting to get pregnant, waiting for ultrasounds to see a heartbeat, and waiting for morning sickness to pass. You wait and wait as the weeks of pregnancy tick by, ever-so-slowly at first, then faster and faster, then perhaps slowing to a crawl again at the end. Well, all of this is how I feel about the arrival of my book in readers’ hands. In mere days, it will begin shipping to interested parents all over – maybe you! I’m not sure if I’m ready, but it is really happening.

I have a hard time with uncertainty. The date that my book would ship has moved around a bit this summer. First, I was told it would be July, then late August. Now I hear that it may be sooner – that the book has been “released” from the Johns Hopkins University Press warehouse, and it will be loaded on trucks for Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indigo, and other sellers over the next week or so. The only date that really matters is the day that the book starts arriving on your doorstep and into your hands.

I finished writing this book more than a year ago, in late June of last year. I was just finishing the first trimester of my pregnancy with BabyM, and Cee was a three-year-old who really needed her mama. The book took me 18 months to write, and then there was a year of additional work to go from manuscript to book. We finished the copyediting stage just a few weeks before BabyM’s birth, and I painstakingly pored over the page proofs, searching for errors, with a sweet newborn sleeping in my lap. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I got to hold a real copy of the book in my hands for the first time. It’s a strange feeling, to see so much work transformed into this tidy package of a 286-page book. It’s done. No more editing or second-guessing or adding in one more study.

For 18 months, this book was a huge part of my life, almost like another child. It was long days of reading research papers, outlining on index cards and my dry-erase board, writing annotated bibliographies, and nervously calling scientists for phone interviews. It was writing and writing and then editing out half of what I had written. And behind all of that was me – a mother watching my daughter grow from a toddler to a preschooler, balancing time with her and time for work. I will also always remember this book as a labor of love through which I struggled with secondary infertility and three miscarriages, desperately wanting another baby for our family. For a long time, this book was a private passion of mine, but it is about to become public. Now I’m imagining it on the nightstands of parents and parents-to-be. I’m imagining it as the topic of conversation between mothers. In many ways, this is thrilling, but it also humbling and terrifying.

The terrifying part of it came back to me when I walked into a local baby boutique a couple of weeks ago. I had my one-and-only precious advance copy in my diaper bag, and I thought I’d ask the owner if she was interested in carrying my book in her store. As she flipped through the pages of my book, she started interrogating me, kindly, about the subject matter. “Do you write about cloth diapers? Babywearing? Are you an advocate for breastfeeding? What do you think about cosleeping? What do you say about vaccines?” I’ve been in my quiet little evidence-based parenting world for so long that I felt unprepared for this line of questioning, but I understand where she’s coming from. These are the topics that new moms wonder and worry about, and she wants to provide accurate information without angering or alienating anyone. I tried my hardest to write a book that would do this, but sometimes moms are a tough audience. But still, all of the confusion and controversy around many of these topics is exactly why I wanted to write this book.

I did my best to explain to the baby store owner that this book is not about my parenting philosophy. It’s about science. It’s about all those questions that I wondered about when I had my first baby, and it’s about me digging through the science looking for answers. I wasn’t trying to defend my choices or tear down anyone else’s. I just wanted to understand and share the science and get as close to the truth as I could, while recognizing that the complexity of parenting decisions means that it would be unreasonable for there to be one right way to care for babies. While there are parts of my story in the book, I tried to leave out my opinions and personal preferences. There are plenty of those all around the Internet, many masquerading as fact. I hope that my book helps parents to make evidence-based choices and then relax and enjoy their babies.

I am forever grateful to everyone who has read and commented on my blog these last 4 years. When I first started blogging, I had no idea that anyone would actually read my posts – much less a book. It’s still a small audience in the blogging world, but I think you’re just about the smartest and most respectful people in the blogosphere. You’re the first people that I thanked in the acknowledgements of my book, and I mean every word:

“This book would never have happened without the gracious support of the readers of my blog, Science of Mom. They convinced me that there are other parents, like me, who want and need evidence-based information on parenting. They inspired me to get started, encouraged me to keep going, and were patient when my blog grew quiet so that I could focus on finishing the book.”

To celebrate the upcoming release of my book and to thank you for your support, I’m offering two giveaways for copies of the book, and you can enter both of them. Both giveaways will be limited to entries from the U.S. and Canada.

1. On GoodReads: I’m running a month-long giveaway for 10 copies of the book on GoodReads. If you’re not yet on GoodReads, it’s easy to sign up. I’m new to GoodReads but enjoying browsing through books and following authors on the site. Click here or the link below to enter the giveaway. And while you’re there, consider following my author profile.

2. On the blog: I’m giving away 2 copies of the book here on the blog this week. Enter by leaving a comment on this post. If you’re so inspired, tell us a bit about why science matters to your parenting decisions and/or how you find evidence-based parenting information. If you’re not inspired, or your baby is crying, or your toddler is having a tantrum, or your child is giving herself a haircut, or you’re just too tired to think… just leave a comment to say hello. This giveaway will close at midnight on August 5, 2015 and the winners will be chosen using random.org.

Oh, and please spread the word about my book to other parents and your local bookstores! You can support a local bookstore by ordering through them, and while you’re at it, encourage them to carry a few copies of my book. My publisher is also offering a special discount code for Science of Mom readers. Check this flier for the code [PDF]. You can also order from any of these sites: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indigo. Thanks, everyone, for your support!

P.S. I’ll be traveling this week with both kids on my own, so my ability to respond to comments here may be limited. Think good thoughts for smooth travel for me, please!

Congratulations on the release!! Honestly, I find it difficult to find evidence-based information of any kind that can present both the technical merits of data and a distillation of the results a way that is easy for the non-scientist to understand. Which is why I have been looking forward to your book for quite some time!

Really looking forward to your book – I ordered it right away wen you announced pre-order availability on your blog. I’m pregnant with my first baby, due date at the end of next week, so given usual shipping delays to my corner of Europe book should arrive in the first weeks of baby’s life. It’s a big relief to have such source at hand where someone has sifted through the scientific evidence on most hot topics in child-rearing – because, as you noted, much more often opinions and myths are presented as facts in internet resources (and books too).

I’m a first time parent, and your blog is perhaps the best source of information I have found for the myriad questions that come up day by day. While staying home with my six month old, I am also slowly working on a graduate degree in nutrition science. Your evidence based approach to relevant questions and situations for a new parent is EXACTLY the sort of reading I want to do. I usually leaf through my text books, look for info on the internet posted by professionals and even search through peer reviewed research papers for answers. Science of Mom is all of that, consolidated for me in one, well written blog post. So refreshing amidst the chaos of old wives tales, trendy parenting styles and even the chatter from well meaning friends and relatives. Thanks!

I’ve been wondering what to give my sister when she becomes a mom in August, now I know.

Also, I’m sorry for your pain and loss with secondary infertility. I had the same experience after the birth of my third. Three miscarriages and five years later we welcomed a baby last summer, but emotionally I’m still not all the way over it. I’ll never look at pregnancy as a happy carefree time again.

Congratulations, I can’t wait to read it! I love this blog. When I was first a new mom I was frustrated by how extreme both sides of any parenting issue were. I appreciate how evenly you generally present the information you find, and how well researched all your posts are, I’m sure your book will be just as great!

I am trained as a scientist, so the evidence was always going to be important to me. I am SO THANKFUL that your blog (and now book) exists as a resource. You present the evidence clearly and succinctly, but you also include warmth and understanding that is clearly a product of your own parenting journey. Good travel and book release thoughts to you, and thank you for writing!

As a female engineer, this approach was a blessing when I was dealing with the infancy of my daughter. Now I share this blog with all my colleagues (especially the males :)). Recently, a new mother (also an engineer) was struggling with a food sensitivity issue with her little one. We went right to your blog, found the referenced studies and looked up the data she needed to have an informed discussion with her pediatrician.

So glad your book is available early. I’ve already asked my local library to purchase it and I am hoping to win my own copy too, so thanks for the giveaway! There are so many misconceptions out there regarding child rearing, so much info that has become obsolete, which makes your book more pertinent than ever. Thanks for helping us parents sort out sound advice from quakery and good luck with your book.

Congratulations, and God bless you during your travels! What you wrote about sleep a few years ago made a huge difference in my life as a mom. My first daughter and I were both sleep-deprived for the first year or so of her life, and your research helped convince me it would be OK to let her cry so that she would finally get some sleep. I’m so grateful, and am really looking forward to reading your book! Here’s hoping you sell millions of copies 🙂

I am a scientist by training, so of course I consult a lot of my decisions with PubMed, and I appreciate a lot if I can find a place where people think in the same way, like your blog. and the book would be such a handy reference

HOORRAYYY! So glad for you and can’t wait to read the book. As you know, sharing science with the public and empowering people to direct their choices based on the evidence is important to me too! Just thrilled that your “third baby” will make it’s public appearance soon!

Congratulations on the release of your new book! I really appreciate hearing things from a scientific view without the bashing of the opinions of others. It is nice to see the facts without having the emotion put into it.

Congratulations! I have a PhD in cell biology and a 4 year-old daughter. I am always looking for evidence-based parenting information from a source I can trust. That’s what leads me to your blog over and over again. Looking forward to reading your book!

Hi, I’ve been reading your blog on and off since my boy was born two years ago. I’m a first time mom, and wouldn’t say I’m a big science brain myself (especially on a reduced amount of sleep!!), however I am a firm believer that there are lots of benefits to modern day science. I found myself overwhelmed by messages of what I should or shouldn’t use for my baby and somewhat bewildered that people of my age actually believed that vaccinations were an evil conspiracy. My mom is partially deaf due to an illness now preventable with vaccine. Members of my family have worked in the third world where there is much less privilege and many more deaths from things we seem to have forgotten the severity of. Okay, I’m ranting now. I just wanted to thank you for dissecting the fearmongering and shedding some objective light on issues that new parents face. Thank you. You’re pretty awesome. And when it comes to travelling with kids – it might not be smooth but that should never stop us.

Also enrolled in a PhD program (love research) and now also in a state were we are “trying to conceive”, I was fortunate enough to find your awesome work through your blog! I must admit that I found you through typing “PhD” and “baby” as I wanted first to see how a women could manage “higher education” and “baby” – wish you could reiterate your experience on that matter when you have time. As far as for your book and your awesome blog, I am a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner and so far your data are always right on. It is the kind of thing I would recommend to my patients. There is so many patients/parents all confused with infos shared on websites and different researches. Your way of delivering the message is thoughtful, precise and concise, which I adore. If I can get an hand on your book, I would be really glad! By the way, enjoy your success…Writing a book or writing a thesis is such a long endeavors (and the fact that you did it with a 3 yrs old and “trying to conceive state”, wow). Congratulations!

So excited to see this book! I came across your blog about two years ago just after the birth of our first child. Sleep deprived and wanting real answers I stumbled across your series on infant sleep. The tone was so different from any other online source I’d seen! Respectful, non-manipulative, thoughtful, open, and humble. I desperately wanted to understand what science knows and where its limits are. Your blog fit that to a “T”. Thank you for seeking to share truth and also forthrightly saying what we don’t know about these issues. Seeing this so clearly took so much anxiety out of my job as a mother and helped me feel confident in making my own decisions. Thank you, Alice. You’ve been a God-send.

I’m so excited to read your book! I just haven’t had the time to do as much careful research to parse out what studies actually say (rather than what lay folks say they say) as I’d like to. When and if my sister-in-law gets pregnant again I’ll most definitely be sending her a copy too. Thanks for all the work you’ve done, it’s a real service to the community.

As a science teacher and mom I can’t tell you how much I appreciate evidence-based data to help me make my decisions. This blog has been invaluable in helping me learn more about infant sleep, iron and vaccines. Thank you! I can’t wait to read your book!

I am also a first time parent and find that the Internet is saturated with non evidence based information and advice making it so much harder to parent! I find you do a great job of making info so accessible to a sleep deprived parent without insulting their intelligence. Thank you!!

My job as a child and family health nurse involves giving information and support which is evidence based – there’s just so much misinformation, myth, and un-asked-for advice out there that new parents have to wade through! Your blog is one of a very small and very select group of names I suggest to parents. Please keep up the great work!

In the 11th week with my first pregnancy (spouse’s too) right now. Scientist, veterinarian, immunologist, cell biologist, soon to be parent. I try to apply the evidence to my pregnancy (and conception, when available), wish to do so with my parenting. Love the blog. Looking forward to the book

So excited for this book. I am a postpartum doula and sleep coach. I share your blog, individual posts and research with almost all of my families. Having the science behind the information makes a huge difference to my clients. It gives me peace of mind, too, when I share it. Thanks for doing the hard work for me.

Good luck with your trip!
I’m a family doctor and have given out your blog info to many parents. I love the balance that you strike between science and your experience as a mother. Your read of the scientific evidence is sound and practical. I am a huge fan of your work!

Congrats on the book! I wish I would have found your site sooner but am grateful for it as things have come up with my now 2.5 month old. Although I don’t always feel science is the “end all be all” I like to use it as a starting point. It’s helpful that you’ve already done the work as far as supplying quality studies. Bethany you for all you do!

Traveling with both kids on your own? Eek! I’m expecting our second this winter, and the idea of just living with two is so scary to me. I poured through your blog when our first was tiny, and would love to have a copy of your book to help me get as informed as possible getting ready for this new one!

Thanks for appreciating the challenge of traveling with two. So far, so good, thought I’m SO tired, and I haven’t been able to accomplish much writing-wise this week. It helps that Cee is old enough to do many things on her own, and BabyM is a pretty mellow baby.

Anyway, you’re a winner! Congrats, and I hope you enjoy the book and find it useful as you prepare for #2! I’ll email you for your mailing address.

I found your blog when researching ways to sleep train my baby since he kept waking every two hours at night! It was very hard for me to finally give in to trying Ferber method and letting my baby cry but it finally did the trick. Your research on the subject helped me get through the first few nights of awful crying, reassuring me that it would not harm him. Thank you!

Yay! I kept looking for your book on Goodreads so I could add it to my to-read list but it wasn’t posted yet. Now I’ve entered the giveaway AND added it to my to-read list. I work with data for my day job so I am all about research-based parenting.

Oh you guys… these comments really warm my heart. I admit that I needed to hear these from you right now. I’m feeling a little vulnerable right now, and it is boosting my confidence to hear that you value my blog and evidence-based parenting information. It’s a great reminder of why I wrote the book. Thank you! And thanks for your enthusiasm and entering the giveaway!

My first baby just turned one month old yesterday, but I’ve been reading your blog for months. I don’t have any specific questions but have been appreciative of all the information you post–huge thanks!

Hooray for science and this blog!! I found you in the many, many sleepless hours with a newborn who had to be held ALL the time (waking and sleeping) and who, after loads of research and the help of your writing, we discovered suffers from various food sensitivities that were causing “silent” reflux. Now that she is 18-months old and a much happier kiddo, we are settling into the idea of having a toddler and the many new adventures that entails 😉 I’m looking forward to benefitting from the wisdom that is, no doubt, packed into your new book and having a new go-to gift for future baby showers!

I’m another scientist by training and it drives me up the wall when people use bits and pieces of science-y sounding things to justify factually incorrect opinions (see: anti-vaxxers). I came across a great deal of “you should worry about this because SCIENCE!” on the internet when I became a mom and really struggled to deal with all the conflicting advice and judgement. Your blog has been a breath of fresh air and real research.

My husband and I are both engineers, and like most parents, we’ve received a lot of (sometimes conflicting) parenting advice that is often based on anecdotes, “experience,” popular beliefs from 30 years ago, and old wives tales. Whenever possible, we prefer to base our decisions on rigorous scientific evidence interpreted in the context of all of the available literature. Thank you for being one of the few resources out there that helps us filter through the noise!

I trained as a health care professional before I became a mother and we spent so much time training in evidence based practice that when I started thinking about parenting, I didn’t really think there was any other way to make decisions. I knew about as much about the research supporting homebirth as my midwives, if that’s any indication of how it started.

I’m so excited about your book, because I no longer have the time or the access to the resources I need to be able to make evidence based decisions and have been so grateful for your summaries.

Evidence-based parenting information is hard to come by, amidst all the noise on the internet. I find my best source is usually books, but even then, the evidence isn’t always clearly referenced.

Congratulations on all of this. It’s very exciting and I really think you’re doing a good thing here.

I tried to give evidence-based recommendations as a WIC dietitian – and now that I’m home with our daughter, I want to do “the rest” in a science-based way too. This blog and Parenting Science are two of my favorite online references – as well as good old Pubmed or Academic Search Premier 🙂

Love your blog. You were so helpful with my question on delaying baby’s first bath this past winter. After baby #2 was born I told the nurses not to bathe her and they thought I was crazy and said they’d have to double check with the pediatrician. When the ped. came in she told me she has never heard of such a thing and actually looked it up before she talked to me. She was so happy, thought it was a great idea, and actually high fived me for giving her the opportunity to learn something new about newborns. Thanks for the support and all your info on the blog. You’re a great resource! I recommend you to other mommies all the time. Hope I win the give away or I’ll just have to pick up a copy when it’s out. Thanks again for your work!

Kudos to you on the book! I’m a science mom (doc) of 2 kids near the ages of yours. Just yesterday was thinking of heading here to see if you knew anything about risks of my pre-schooler premasticating for her 6 mo old sister. Possibly a choking hazard, not sure whether 3yo has less oral bacteria than her parents at this point… But unbelievably tender and sweet big sister instinct. Anyway, I love how you present evidence without being cold or prescriptive. Looking forward to reading and recommending your book!

I just found your blog this week when I was criticized for starting my baby on oatmeal cereal and was immediately thrown into the confusion of whether or not what I thought was a standard choice was actually something that was harming my child. I am so thankful for your recent posts on starting solids and the great science-based info it gave me! I’m digging through posts on other topics as well, now. Thank you!

I am looking forward to reading your book. We’re on a budget, so I’m hoping to win the copy!

I just found your blog and am so excited! I am a chemistry teacher/engineer turned sahm. I was just explaining to someone about how introducing solids foods between 4-6 mo may actually help with food allergies. Someone else commented on the post with your article. Loved it! I am a fellow blogger and love finding blogs like this! Congrats on the book. Can’t wait to read it!

I’ve been following your blog since my oldest daughter was an infant- our first-borns are around the same age. I had my second baby a year ago, so I’ve been able to follow along your continuing parenting research – I just love your approach. In a world where there’s so much pseudo-science and fear-mongering, your level, research-based approach is so welcome. Thank you!!

Such a pleasure to read your blog. The posts on infant sleep saved my sanity! I love the mixture of science and empanth, and the fact that a lot of the time the conclusion to your research is “whatever you’re doing is probably ok…” 🙂

Welcome!

Welcome! I'm the author of The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby's First Year, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2015. I write about science, health, parenting, and nutrition here and for other print and online outlets.
Find more about me at my website: https://alicecallahanphd.com/

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